A former winner of TV's The Apprentice has lost a claim of constructive dismissal against Alan Sugar.
Stella English, who won the role in the BBC's series The Apprentice in 2010 and earned £100,000 per year, claimed she had no real role at Lord Sugar's IT firm, Viglen. In the tribunal, Ms English claimed that she was given a desk and a phone but no specific duties during a four-month probationary period. She said her boss looked at her with "contempt" on her first day and said: "There is no job." She carried out basic administrative tasks but did not say anything to Lord Sugar.
Lord Sugar told the employment tribunal at the East London Tribunal Centre he had no case to answer and Ms English was effectively blackmailing him. The tribunal panel was emphatic in its rejection of the claim stating: “We have found that the conduct either did not occur or if it did occur did not amount to conduct which destroyed or seriously damaged trust and confidence.”
The tribunal panel ruled unanimously in the businessman's favour. Following the ruling, Lord Sugar tweeted: "A victory for the law against the claim culture."
Read the full story on the BBC website.
Paul Burton, Employment Solicitor at Frettens, comments "This case would probably not have made it to the tribunal without Lord Sugar's notoriety and without the media coverage. There’s a number of interesting points in her claim – what is the fundamental breach of contract that Ms English is alleging? And what are her actual losses? Constructive dismissal claims are typically complicated."
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